Foot massage apparatus



y 1960 w. N. MOXLEY 2,935,064

I FOOT MASSAGE APPARATUS Filed Jan. 26, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet l 44 43INVENTOR. 35 WLL/HM M Max/.5? 10 Y y 1960 w. N. MOXLEY 2,935,064

FOOT MASSAGE APPARATUS Filed Jan. 26. 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a FI Ga 4oIN V EN TOR.

MLL/HM M MOXLE/ 2,935,064 FOOT MASSAGE APPARATUS William N. Moxley, Los'Angeles, Calif. Application January 26, 1959, Serial No. 789,155 iClaims. (Cl. ms--33 The present invention relates to massage apparatus,

and more particularly to apparatus for performing a massaging action onthe feet of persons.

. object of the invention is to provide apparatus on which a person canstand to have his feet massaged and embodying equipment for massagingthe feet without transmitting the massaging action to the remainder ofthe apparatus.

Another object of the invention is to provide massage equipment in anapparatus for supporting a person in a standing position whose feet areto be massaged, in which the equipment is retained in the apparatus insuch manner as to transmit the massaging action to the persons feet andto the floor or other surface on which the apparatus is mounted, withouttransmitting the massaging action to :the supporting apparatus itself.

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus formassaging the persons feet standing thereon, in which massage equipmentin the apparatus ,does.

not transmit the massaging action to the remainder of the apparatus, butis still readily transportable as a unit with the remainder of theapparatus.

This invention possesses many other advantages, and' has other objectswhich may he made more clearly apparent from a consideration of a formi'n which it may be embodied. This form is shown in the drawings ac--companying and forming part of the present specification.

It will now bedescribed in detail, for the purpose ofillustrating thegeneral principles of the invention; but it is to be understood thatsuch detailed description is notto 'be taken in a limiting sense, sincethe scope Ofzih invention is best defined by the appended .=cjlairns.-

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a front elevational embodying theinvention; 7

Fig. 2 is a side elevational closed in Fig. 1;

view' of an apparatus view, of the apparatus di Fig. 3 is a top planview of theapprhtus -,i,l lus t;r ated in Fig. 1; V 1

Fig. 4 is a top plan view, on an enlarged scale, of the lower portion ofthe apparatus on which a person can stand;

Fig. 5 is on Fig. 4;

an enlarged section taken along the line 5 15 fragmentary section of alower upon the upper surface of massage equipment 10, which,

,may be in the form of a massage pillow of the specific type illustratedin applicants United States Patent 2,786,465, although the apparatuscould assume other specific forms. As disclosed, the massage pillowincludes a lower section 11 and an upper section 12 pivthrough a flange44 Patented May 3, 1959 otally connected thereto, as through use of asuitable intervening hinge 13. Within the upper and lower pillowsections is a massage producing apparatus 14 including a suitable frame15 to which end cylindrical members 16,

17 ,are secured. An electric motor 18 is connected to the frame at oneend by means of a flexible connection 19. The armature shaft 20 of themotor extends outwardly through its opposite end and is secured to aneccentric 21 rotatable within a ball bearing 22, the outer race 23 ofwhich is suitably afiixed to the frame, as well as to the cylindricalmember 17.

The massage unit 10 is clamped within the upper and lower sections 12,11 of the pillow. Thus, the cylindrical members 16, 17 are held betweenupper and lower rubber or rubber-like pillow blocks 24, 25 suitablysecured to the upper and lower sections, as through use of screws 26.These sections 11, 12 are held in clamped relation upon the cylindricalmembers 16, 17 by means of straps 27 attached to the'sides of the upperand lower sections to hold them in closed relation to one another. Whenin closed relation rubber or rubber-like bumpers 28 on one of thesections 12, such as the upper section, will engage the other or lowersection 11. V

As the motor 18 rotates, the rotation of the eccentric 21 transmits acircular vibratory motion to the upper and lower sections 12, 11 Thelower section 11 may have a layer of sponge rubber 29 secured thereto,which,

in turn, is covered by a suitable covering of pliant sheet material 30,such as a plastic sheet; whereas the upper section 12 may also have alayer of sponge rubber 29 attached thereto which is also enclosed by-asuitable covering of sheet material 30, such as a plasticmaterial. Aprotective mat 31 is secured to the sheet material 30 of the uppersection 12. When a person stands upon the the electric motor 18operating, the massaging and vibratory action developed bytheeccentric21 is transmitted through the framework 15, 16, Hand throughthe rubber pillow blocks 24, 25 to the upper and lower sections 12, 11,and from'th'e upper section to the feet of the person. V

It is desired to retain the massage equipment or pillow 1-0 intheapparatus 'and yet prevent the massaging action or vibratory actiondeveloped from being transmitted through the apparatus. Thus, themassage pillow 10 is disposed within a well, recess, or opening 35 inthe base portion 36 .of the apparatus. This base portion is ,elevatedabove the floor or supporting surface F, as by means .of spaced parallelbars 37 on opposite sides of the recess 35 which may extendsubstantially from the front of the base to the rear of the base 36.Adjacent to each of these b,ars,'a rod or tube '38 may be disposed,which also engages the floor or other supporting surface F, as well as"the lower side of the base. The rear ends of these tubes 38 are securedto vertical supporting tubular members 39 which are connected to oneanother at their upper .end by meansof an integral cross-piece 49. Avertical panel 41 is suitably secured to the vertical sup porting rodsof bars 39'.

Lateral supports 41 are provided to facilitate a persons stepping ontoand from the massaging apparatus and to insure his safe standing on theapparatus while it is being used. Such side supports 41' may consist ofgenerally L-shapied members disposed on each side of the massageapparatus, therebeing a forward vertical leg 42 attachedto the base 36,as by means of screws 43 passing fixed to each leg and bearing againstthe base panel of the apparatus. The upper portion 1.42 of each verticalleg merges into a horiaontal bar. 1.45 bent substantially at rightangles thereto and extending rearwardly to the rear vertical panel 41,to which a flange 46 attached to the horizontal bar is suitably secured,as

to the vertical panel 41.

by means of screws 47. Thus, the side supports 41' provide hand holdsfor the person using the apparatus. Each leg 42 may be braced by anintermediate member 48 suitably attached to the leg and to the verticalpanel 41 answe s The current to the electric motor 18 is supplied in ithe usual manner through an electric line 70. If deone or a plurality ofboxes or holders 51 whichcrnay t be used for containingbooklets,.folders, or. other advertising literature.

The distance between the sides of the opening 35 in the lower basemember 36 is slightly greater than the width of the lower section 11 ofthe pillow, whereas the distance between the front and rear ends of thepanel 36 defining the opening 35 is but slightly greater than thedistance between the front and rear of the pillow sections 11, 12. Thus,the massage unit or pillow makes a fairly snug fit within the opening35. Its lateral movement may be limited by its engagement with a pair ofspaced rubber or rubber-like bumpers 52 extending into the opening 35from the side thereof and suitably secured to the base panel 36, asthrough use of screws 53, or the like.

The massage unit 10 is movable with the surrounding structure of theapparatus by being supported upon a liner 54 made of flexible material,such as canvas, textile fabric, rubber, or the like, disposed within theopening 35. This liner includes a base portion 55 on which the strips 59and flanges 58 for threaded reception into the wood or other material ofthe panel 36.

The liner 54 is in a state of rest when the apparatus is disposed on thefloor F or other supporting surface, its bottom or base 55 engaging thefloor but the side and end walls 56, 57 being devoid of any loadthereon, preferably being in a somewhat slack state. Accordingly, whenthe massage apparatus 10 is operating, and the eccentric 21 is impartingthe massaging action to the pillow 10, such massaging action is onlytransmitted in a downward direction through the base 55 of the liner tothe floor or supporting surface F, as well as in an upward direction tothe feet of the person standing thereon. However, it is not transmittedto the base portion 36 through the liner 54, since the sides.56, 57 ofthe liner are in a relaxed or non-rigid state. Any tendency for themassage unit 10 to move in a forward or rearward direction, orlaterally, is substantially non-existent and if it tends to occur, itwould be resisted by engagement of the lower section 11 with the rubberbumpers 52,

which will transmit substantially no massaging action or I vibrations tothe base panel 36.

It is, thus, apparent that there is no massaging or vibratory actiontransmitted to the supporting structure which receives the massageapparatus 10. However, in the event it is desired to move the apparatus,it is merely necessary to lift it, the massage unit 10 itself beingretained within the recess 35 of the'base panel 36 by the liner 54. Theentire apparatus can be transported to a new location as a unit and setin place where desired. When the apparatus is not resting on asupporting surface F, the massage unit 10 is supported from the basepanel 36 through the agency of the liner 54 on which it rests and whichpartly surrounds it.

sired, this electric line may be in a circuit with a timer switch 71 ofany suitable type mounted in the upper portion of the vertical panel 41,which will determine the duration of the massaging action imparted tothe feet of the person standing on the massage unit 10.

The inventor claims:

1. In foot massage apparatus: a supporting structure including a baseadapted to rest upon a floor and having an opening therein; a flexibleliner in said opening secured to saidbase and adapted to rest upon thefloor; and a massage unit on which av person is adapted to standdisposed in said opening-and bearing upon said liner, said unitincluding means for developing and im-' parting a vibratory massageaction to the person.

2. In foot massage apparatus: a supporting structure including abaseadapted torest upon a floor and having an opening therein; a flexibleliner in said opening secured to said base and adapted to rest upon thefloor; and a massage unit on which a person is adapted to stand disposedin said opening and bearing upon said liner, said unit including meansfor developing and imparting a vibratory massage action to the person;said massage unit being substantially entirely free from engagement withsaid base.

3. In foot massage apparatus: a supporting structure including a baseadapted to rest upon a floor and having an opening therein; a flexibleliner in said opening secured to said base and adapted to rest upon thefloor; a massage-unit on which a person is adapted to stand disposed insaid opening and bearing upon said liner, said unit including means fordeveloping and imparting a vibratory massage action to the person; avertical member extending upwardly from the rear of said base; and sidesupporting members for the person standing on said massage unit, saidside supporting members being secured to said base and vertical member.

4; In foot massage apparatus: a supporting structure including a baseadapted to rest upon a floor and having an opening therein; a flexibleliner in said opening secured to said 'base and having side portionsextending downwardly therewithin and a base portion adapted to rest uponthe floor; and a massage unit on which a person can stand disposed insaid opening and bearing upon said base portion, said unit includingmeans for developing and imparting a vibratory massage action to theperson; said side portions being free from tension when said massageunitbears upon said base portion and said base portion rests upon the floor.

5. In foot massage apparatus: a supporting structure including a baseadapted to rest upon a floor and having an opening therein; a flexibleliner in said opening secured to said base and having side portionsextending downwardly therewithin and a base portion adapted to rest uponthe floor; and a massage unit on which a person can stand disposed insaid opening and bearing upon said base portion, said unit includingmeans for developing and imparting a vibratory massage action to theperson; saidside portions being free from tension when said massage unitbears upon said base portion and said base portion rests upon the floor;avertical member extending upwardly from the rear of said base; and sidesupporting members for the person standing on said mas- References Citedin the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Spencer Apr. 12, 1938Moxley Mar. 26, 1957

